This article contains mentions of suicide, abuse, murder and sexual assault
The anticipated release of Don't Worry Darling this month certainly lived up to viewers' high expectations, with critics highly praising Florence Pugh "redoubtable performance" (via Screen Daily) as well as its unique tale. The chilling thriller transports its audience back to 1950s American suburbia before posing many questions about experimental towns, female oppression, and toxic masculinity.
While Don't Worry Darling has proven to be a huge talking point on TikTok (with many fans expressing how disturbing the thriller is), a few fans have also been talking about other movies that made their stomach drop.
Don't Breathe (2016)
Stream On Tubi
Don't Breathe begins with three sophisticated criminals choosing their next target, but their vulnerable victim proves to put up more than a fight than they first thought.
The film's plot follows a cat and mouse structure, keeping viewers on their toes as they constantly await the next jump scare to see who lives and who doesn't. Its use of low-key lighting alongside its one-set location creates a claustrophobic feel that results in many viewers holding their breath in a bid to survive alongside its criminal characters.
Fresh (2022)
Stream On Hulu
Fresh has been listed as one of the best thrillers of 2022 so far and continues to spark conversations about its controversial storyline that caused many viewers to feel sick. The movie sees Daisy Edgar-Jones on a date with Sebastian Stan but what could have been the start of a love story turns into a blood-curdling tale.
Fresh tricks viewers into feeling safe by creating a male character that, on the surface, ticks all the right boxes, causing its audience to be unsuspecting of the danger ahead. The movie received a lot of attention for its intense scenes that implemented close-up camera angles to convey Noa's moment of recognition, getting viewers' hearts pumping after their investment in Noa's safety was rendered useless.
Searching (2018)
Rent On AppleTV
Searching found fame for its unique film style that highlighted the vital role technology can play in a missing person's case whilst also retaining viewers' attention through its distinctive visuals. The mystery thriller accompanies David Kim as he searches for clues on his daughter's laptop after she disappears but to his surprise, there is a trace.
The whole movie is filmed through a mock-up of Margot's laptop and invites its audience to piece together her disappearance alongside David. This element of Searching gives the impression that it is all happening in real-time and saw viewers lurch forward to read each cleverly placed clue, a movement mirrored by the audience's stomach as they became more and more invested in Margot's case.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Stream On Freevee
Despite only being released two years ago, The Invisible Man is one of the scariest horror films of all time and achieves this by combining science fiction with horror. The plot focuses on Cecilia, who recently found herself free of her abusive ex-partner and begins being haunted by the strange goings-on she believes to be his ghost.
The Invisible Man creates fear by omitting the visual image of its villain, which would usually prepare audiences for an attack as they could see it readily incoming. By doing this, the science fiction film causes a constant sense of stress, continuously built upon by Elisabeth Moss's performance that embodies true terror and is among a series of reasons why fans struggle to sleep after watching.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Stream On HBO Max
Promising Young Woman is a heavily praised movie that offers a poignant but powerful insight into the treatment of women. Carey Mulligan takes on the role of Cassie, a young woman seeking justice and revenge for her friend, who took her own life after she was sexually assaulted.
Promising Young Woman builds suspense from the beginning, with Cassie's next move being unpredictable as the film captures each change through dark clothing and lights that are later contrasted with a sweeter environment. The film's use of costume and lighting mapped Cassie's safe places and soon became blended as the petrifying plot progressed, creating a constant feeling of unease that follows its audience off the screen.
Escape Room (2019)
Stream On Starz
Escape Room is a movie that invites Escape Room and creates a terrifying thriller whereby not solving the puzzle results in brutal deaths.
This mind-bending flick toys with the idea of being trapped as a series of wide-angle shots show the masterful decoration of each themed room. Escape Room creates fear through its time-limited nature that causes stress to not only its characters but its viewers, who play into the movie's puzzling plot, even when it forces them to look away by sparing no gory detail about death.
Deep Water (2022)
Stream On Hulu
Deep Water pictures Ana De Armas and Ben Affleck as a couple whose relationship is less than conventional as Melinda strikes up many love affairs, with Vic soon being under suspicion when her lovers go missing.
Deep Water cleverly plays into its theme of deceit as Melinda and Vic are depicted to be this happy family, who are also very sociable. This ultimately confuses fans as they begin to doubt Vic's murderous ways due to his sweet behavior towards Trixie, but Vic eventually demonstrates how he tricked viewers in one final stomach-churning act of violence.
It Follows (2014)
Stream On Netflix
It Follows is a psychological horror movie that messes with its audience's brain as it depicts a young teen who begins being followed by an entity that takes different forms after a sexual encounter with her boyfriend.
The movie plays into the threat of being constantly followed and employs jump scares to make it even more terrifying. It Follows has been praised for doing much more than scaring its viewers due to its social commentary, but the film certainly puts its low-key lighting and eerie setting to good use, delivering a series of thrills that haunts its audience after watching.
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Stream On Paramount+
Based On Alice Sebold's novel of the same name, The Lovely Bones tells the story of Susie, who has sadly been killed. Viewers see in both her past life and purgatory as she is kept on earth to provide her family with closure as she attempts to reveal her killer.
The movie lets the audience know who the killer is before Susie's family, encouraging them to feel the same frustration as her when she attempts to point her family in the right direction. This chilling tale is made possible through Stanley Tucci's performance as George Harvey, but it was the final eye-locking moment that gave viewers goosebumps in a clever 'she knows' revelation that satisfied the audience, who, in that moment, felt the grief of Susie's sister.
I Came By (2022)
Stream On Netflix
Downton Abbey as the movie follows the tale of a graffiti artist who targets the rich. However, Toby's next victim, Hector, has a hidden secret that costs him and many more their lives.
Despite his affinity with crime, fans become invested in Toby's desire to hold the rich able, which is why many viewers felt so uneasy when viewing that infamous ashes scene. The film has its audience rooting for the underdogs, throwing them into a false sense of security created by the promise of a happy ending. Instead, the movie delivers some harsh social commentary about the way the wealthy live, playing into its graphic scenes of violence that left viewers feeling sick to their stomachs.
